Whether it was the presence of Mother Monster's actual
mother in the balcony or the task at-hand of closing a 95-year-old venue, Gaga was particularly wistful during her hit-filled set on
Sunday night.

Greeting her fans with a sneer peeking out from beneath
an impossibly large neon-blonde wig, Gaga opened with a piano-bound
"Born This Way" before high-kicking into "Black Jesus," which found her surrounded by feathery man candy and leathery
musicians.

Facing ecstatic shrieks that nearly drowned out her piano
playing, Gaga quieted down the crowd long enough between songs to shout out her
mom in the balcony, give advice to fame-hungry Little Monsters ("work hard!") and fondly reminisce
about good times she's had at the NYC mainstay.

"95 years old—that's an old bitch," Gaga said of Roseland. "We're sad to see you go… I've done a lot of drugs in
the bathroom here." The crowd roared its approval while she offered a cheeky "sorry mom" to the balcony.

Speaking of addiction, Gaga got quote-unquote real for a
moment after playing her confessional ARTPOP track "Dope." "This last birthday was the first in years that
didn't begin with me waking up and boozing or getting high," Gaga admitted. But lest you think the Fame Monster has killed the Party Monster, Gaga assured fans she simply "waited 'til
9pm" before indulging on her birthday.

In addition to a screeching hair metal take on "Bad Romance" and a subdued "Poker Face," Gaga performed her breakout
hit, "Just Dance," and talked about the critics who didn't think she'd land another chart hit after that, much less maintain her public profile for
six years (and counting).

After leaving the audience with "Applause" and a
flash of her ass, Gaga returned for a one-song encore of "G.U.Y." that
absolutely slayed. Sure, it was a little light given the whole performance
clocked in at just over an hour, but watching Gaga enrapture an intimate venue in
her hometown is a completely electric experience.

As she said leaving the stage, "I'll see you at some
other concert when I'm 90 and you're 90, too."

Most Popular

Photo of the day

Miley Cyrus announced her new single "Younger Now"—which also doubles as the title to her upcoming album—with this adorable single cover that shows a school photo of an adolescent Cyrus. Both the song and video drop on Friday, Aug. 18, and we can't wait.